Saturday, January 15, 2011

Preview of January Series Art Pins

Since I have been creating beaded brooches over the past few years, one of my goals has been to come up with beaded pins that would be great for men. Something artfully beaded that a man might like to wear on his coat or affix to his laptop bag. Well, I think with this January series I have done it:

HAHAHA Just kidding.

Working in the realm of pales and whites is a real departure for me, and I’ve already covered my combination of fascination and reticence when it comes to lace. But a Valentine theme does seem to offer an excuse to indulge in some Victoriana. I’ve found it quite freeing, actually. I've devised some new applications tricks that I’ll be applying to future works. I did make it a point to eschew the reds and pinks that we associate with the day, in order to rebel in some small way while I play with the laces and silks. If you have a favorite, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

It would be an entry in itself to talk about Valentine’s day as a phenomenon. I think as a “holiday” it can be a nice excuse for a date, but some find it lonely, or maddening, or cliche, or actually compulsory (Roses or else, Buster!) - these are the obvious negatives to Cupid’s day. I’d like to think that a woman would purchase a piece of wearable art as a valentine for herself. And if a thoughtful husband or lover thought a Victorian art brooch made by me better expressed his affection than a dozen Safeway roses, that would be okay with me, too!

There will be (at least ) six more in the series. Stay tuned. You can always contact me if you are interested in purchase.

I will say, the February series will be a radical departure from all things lacy. Stay tuned.

And I am not kidding about a design that men would like. I I’m still working on it. Suggestions welcome.

(PS I always forget to mention it. but you can click on any photo and it will enlarge for you. Many know this already but in case you don’t, it is a lot easier to see the detail of beadwork if it is enlarged.